25 July 2010

We're diving again...

visibility:  up to 40 feet, about time
water temperature: have been better, but 72 is an improvement
currents: not really there, so we have to swim
surface conditions: a bit windy, so also a bit choppy

It's still nice summer weather, not too hot with a nice breeze, that every now and than increases a bit too much for the water to stay calm. Since one week we've got work again and we're lucky that the conditions improved so we can go out diving again. After maybe two months of bad diving conditions, it's now slowly improving. Not yet up to 80F with a visibility of 100+ feet. Hard to remember how that looks like, but we'll get there again. I'm sure!!!
We have a lot of life on the reef, didn't see all them fish for a long time. Everything looks healthy and well fed, so the algae has done what it has to do. Especially El Bajo de Los Meros is beautiful, where Los Morros is still colder and greener. Also El Cantil has a lot of life, but in the shallow part the waves are very noticeable: it's like 4 steps forward 3 steps back, kind off fun, once you get the hang of it.
Yesterday went to La Esperanza and the visibility was not bad at all, a good 40 feet, cold still at 75 feet depth, but so much to see. The Cabrillas had a party here, together with amber-jacks and dog teeth snapper. The thousands of creole fish played confetti and the yellow tale snapper looks like the smoke coming from smoke pots, slowly rising from the murky water into the 'clearer' water above. Good old Esperanza, always something spectacular to show. We went to see sharks though and didn't see any. But he, can't have it all, apparently...
I've lost my camera, some weeks ago, that's one of the painful reasons that the last few posts are without photos. The other reason is that there was nothing visible enough to take a photo of. If it improves a bit more, I'll take Pilu's camera down, if she'll let me...

10 July 2010

Germany is out! Holland and Spain play the finals...

visibility: still not good, maybe 15 feet
water temperature: a bit warmer, or less cold
currents: very mild, in the wrong direction
surface conditions: are good, nice and sunny...

The football games are  running to an end. Today Germany got the third place in a beautiful game against Uruguay. If tomorrow the finals are going to be the same quality, between two offensive playing teams, it's going to be a great game. 
The wind changed direction and speed, the current went in the same direction as the wind, so we had nothing more than just a slight chop, so we hoped to be lucky today. We went for a dive, that is, we were able to get wet. In still green and too cold waters we're finding our way from Chopitos (also known as Mermaid beach), but we didn't get to Las Casitas. The current pushed us in the opposite direction and deeper the temperature dropped a lot, so we returned to where we came from, with just enough visibility to find the way back, without running into rocks. No, not for us, so back in the boat, back to the beach and to the dive center. Maybe the day after tomorrow, after the finals. Tomorrow we have a party, for who ever wins, we Pilu and Henri, cannot loose, we are the new world champion, being it Spain (Pilu) or Holland (Henri)...